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meduarts · 1 year

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Managing Life (Part 2/?)

Summary: Marinette has been Audrey Bourgeois' secretary ever since she voiced out her dream of having her own business. Audrey thinks that she should learn more about the nooks and crannies of running a fashion business. However, fate has other plans for her, and honestly, what can our resident guardian could do to counter fate?

Disclaimer: I do not own MLB or DCU.

Pairings: Dick Grayson/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Taglist: @timinette-is-bestbest, @peach-blueberry-pie, @tinybrie, @taewinterbear95, @its-maemain, @flyhighdreamer, @kokoroluna @kitsun3699 @lilfuturescarss @kaimodius @sinoffalsejudgement @night-ngale @laydeekrayzee @fauxnormal @stella17luna @plz-excuse-my-inner-gay @ae-vixrose (Tell me if you want to be a part of the taglist!)

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Bruce Wayne sighed heavily, he could feel a telltale headache coming from miles away. His personal assistant had given him a letter of notice and he had now just figured out how dependent he is on his assistant. Fortunately, he managed to beg, yes he had to beg, his assistant to wait until he could find someone to replace them.

Not to mention the death of his son, Jason, had hit him hard. He admits that he was too late but really what can he do? He wants to kill the Joker but that would mean going against his code. And killing the Joker wouldn't bring Jason back, no matter how much he wanted to bring him back.

Now, he has another son that somehow found out his identity and actually picked up the pieces and demands he takes the kid as the new Robin. Bruce is slowly moving on but the thought of his dead son is still a heartache that he wasn't sure would heal. Dick is trying his best but even he knows that the boy is falling apart.

He sighed heavily, he was tired and lost. Everything constant in his life is changing, slowly but surely and he is not ready. His head began to pound and he tried to soothe it by massaging the bridge of his nose.

His headache came again at the same time his phone rang and that almost made him whine. He picked up the call and cleared his throat. "This is Bruce Wayne speaking."

"Bruce darling! How are you on this fine evening?"

"Audrey...Why did you call?"

"Such coldness from you! Is Brucie Wayne a fake all this time? I'm hurt!"

Bruce groaned out, his head pounding like crazy, "I don't have time for this, Audrey. My assistant gave me their letter of notice days ago and I haven't found a replacement yet. If you have, Oh I don't know, a perfectly reliable assistant laying around in your office then I suggest we end this call because I am this close to breaking my phone for the tenth time."

She laughed at his misery. He could feel his eye twitch.

"I'm hanging up." Why he became friends with Audrey Bourgeois was always one of the many questions he has in his life. Somehow, the bossy blonde decided in Highschool that she would be friends with Bruce and she had stuck to that promise ever since. Honestly, Bruce has learned to not question the way of the universe.

"Wait!" She snorts and finally took a deep breath to compose herself.

"I might have answers for your predicament! My apprentice/assistant/secretary is looking for a new mentor! One that could teach her the ways of a big business should operate! Perhaps, I can introduce you to her!" She offered between her giggles.

Bruce frowned, to be completely honest he had done many interviews and none of the candidates is the perfect assistant that could replace them, he had nothing to lose. "I'm interested."

"Good, I'll schedule a dinner for the three of us at some point during your gala week."

"I hope you're not pranking me again. I had enough grievances lately that'll last a while."

Audrey laughed again at his misery. Why was he friends with this designer again? Right, she ordered him to be one.

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Marinette made sure that everything had been acquainted before she and Audrey leave Paris for the Wayne Gala. She made sure that the Secretaries of every division in the company know what was going to happen when she was gone for the week.

Fortunately for her, everyone in Style Queen respects her and her decision-making skills. How could they not? She was one of the reasons why Style Queen had been advancing at rapid speed during those 3 years when she became a permanent team member.

No messed up meetings, their profit margin had increased, their designs were always at the top of the chart, their galas were always a hit, and their fashion show had become one of the most awaited fashion shows in years, and to top it all off there has been zero firing and quitting during those 3 years. They didn't even need to pay for extra therapists for the emotional damage caused by Audrey!

A miracle? Yes. A blessing from the Gods? Definitely. Is Marinette the Messiah that the Style Queen company had been waiting for? Most Definitely.

Did the Style Queen employees made a cult to worship the ground that Marinette walks on? Allegedly.

Anyways, after confirming the things that needed to be done she called for a staff assembly and hand them folders as well as pdf files in USB about their schedule for the next week. She made sure that if anything happened in the company while she was away to immediately contact her.

Now, she stood in front of Audrey while listing off the things that should be done during their week in Gotham.

"Right Mme Bourgeois. our agenda during our week in Gotham is as follows, Monday, we'll check on our branch in Gotham, I also book that dinner with M Wayne at 7 p.m. Tuesday, we have a photoshoot in Gotham Garden, I also made sure to up the security in case the rogues decided to attack and a failsafe location outside Gotham so that we can continue our shoot peacefully.

Tuesday night will be your fitting for your gown and we will be doing that in your room. Wednesday will be reserved fully for the progress report with our company. Thursday will be reserved for the Wayne family fitting as well which will be done in the afternoon. I made sure to clear Friday and Saturday morning to afternoon. Saturday night is the gala and Sunday we will board the plane to Paris." Marinette finished while rechecking the schedule on her tablet.

"Fabulous! I know I can always count on you Marinette!" Audrey clapped her perfectly manicured hands and winked at her secretary.

"Of course, Are there any problems that you would like to point out from the schedule?"

"Non," Audrey answered nonchalantly. "So, Marinette. Have you made up your mind about what I said days ago?"

Marinette puts away her tablet and fixed the pink-rimmed horse kwami glasses that she decides to take today to match her outfit. "Actually, I did. You are right Madame, I need to spread my wings and take a leap of faith."

"Excellent! You will be coming to the dinner on Monday, yes?"

"I- Yes, you did order me to attend the dinner with M Wayne."

"Good! Now, have the rest of the day off! I shall see you tomorrow evening, yes?"

Marinette blinked slowly, "Yes, Madame. Uh... thank you." She bowed shortly and left the office without another word. She could actually feel that Audrey was planning something behind her back and she doesn't want to know what her plans were.

Well, a whole afternoon off, is a rare thing to occur. "Should I spend the rest of the day holed up in my apartment sketching or holed up in my regular cafe sketching?" She asked Kaalki who was hiding in her breast pocket.

"Why not take a stroll in the park? The weather is great today, Guardian!"

"An astounding idea! Let's go!" She cheered and made a brisk walk to her office. She packed up her things, say a few goodbyes to the staff that she met along the way, and left the building. She quickly made her way to a cafe nearby, bought herself a coffee strong enough that she was sure it could raise a dead body and walked to the park that Kaalki had mentioned.

There was an open seat near the park's walking trek and immediately bee-lined her way there, took out her sketchbook, and let the horse kwami make a comfortable perch on her lap. As the Great Guardian, she had managed to find the right spell to mask the kwami's presence with a layered illusion, even a former holder couldn't spot them since Marinette willed it so.

"So, Grand Guardian...Who is this Wayne person?"

Marinette hummed for a moment, trying to find the right answer. "Well, he's a businessman, he owns a multibillion company called the Wayne Enterprise, it has many branches across the world and they have many divisions as well, though none of them focuses on fashion. Which is unfortunate but I digress." She explained patiently.

"Whoaa, is he rich then??" Kaalki gushed excitedly.

"Well, he is a millionaire think he's going to be a billionaire soon. So yeah, I think you can call him rich."

The aristocratic kwami gasped loudly, "You should have him as your mentor! You could be a millionaire too!"

Marinette laughed merrily, "I don't think that's how it works but I'll consider that."

"Oh Guardian, I can already sense it! It must be fate! Perhaps you can even marry the man!"

The designer was drinking her coffee and spitting it out when she heard the kwami's excited ramble. She coughed a few times trying to regain her composure, "K-kaalki, that man is old enough to be my father! Besides, he has kids already!"

"What about his kids then?"

"A- K-kaalki! You will stay out of my romantic life! I-i can find a suitable person to date!"

Kaalki gave her a deadpanned look, "Yeah, uh-huh sure you do."

"Kaalkiii!!!" Marinette whined exasperatedly. "Can we please stop this conversation??"

The kwami just giggled and made themselves comfortable on her lap. Marinette huffed and rubbed her face tiredly, yeah she knows that her love life had been a disaster but she didn't need the little creature gods to butt in. She's perfectly fine on her own, sure it's lonely but if she has work to do it distracts her from feeling that loneliness.

Honestly, dating one of the Wayne kids. That's a laugh!

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Marinette sighed as she rolled her neck and heard a few pops from it. Traveling to Gotham is a pain in the ass and she hopes she doesn't have to do it again anytime soon. She had brought a couple of kwamis with her for the trip, not that she wanted to use them to gallop across the roof of Gotham City as a hero or vigilante, she just didn't want to leave them at home alone.

She was wearing the dragon's choker, Tikki's earrings, and the turtle's bracelet that she had charmed to change the designs so that it'll fit with her outfit. Wayzz gave her a wave of comforting magic towards their bond and Marinette stroked the bracelet gently in gratitude.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly. Marinette made sure the hotel room for Audrey is good enough for the bossy queen and after that she could finally throw herself on her hotel bed. Her head was pounding but she still picked herself up and began to unpack.

"Marinette! This town is oozing with an unlucky aura and chaos! I think Kaalki was on to something when she said something about fate!" Exclaimed Tikki as she observes the city through the glass.

"I told you!" Kaalki yelled from the other side of the room.

Marinette frowns to herself and decided to flare her magic to get a better sense of the City of Crime. Yep, Tikki was right, everything is oozing with bad luck miasma, and darkness surrounding parts of the city. Everything is gloomy and depressing, no wonder the people of Gotham are miserable.

"You're right, Tikki." She stood from the floor and walked to the big window overseeing the city. "It's coated with Bad Luck and Chaos."

"We should stay here and purify this mess!" Pollen offered while floating next to Marinette's head.

"I don't think we should be that rash. Let's see what fate got for us. In the meantime, does anyone wants to go with me to buy snacks?"

A series of 'yes' from the childish gods made her head lighter than before.

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Monday starts out as a pleasant day for her, she managed to make all the snacks for the kwamis and bake the pastries that Audrey love so much for breakfast. Everything was smooth and it lifted Marinette's spirit. There was no schedule for today morning and Marinette debated to herself if she wants to go out and find inspiration for her design or not.

There's something about Gotham that made her blood pump in adrenaline and she's pretty sure it is her innate guardian magic telling her to go ahead and purify the city. She looked at the kwamis who are lounging and made up her mind.

"Hey Plagg, Do you want to come with me and explore Gotham before dinner?"

The cat kwami in question brighten up and zoomed across the room in excitement. "Alright!!! Let's enjoy the day with extra CHAOS!"

Marinette laughs and took off Tikki's earrings to put on Plagg's ring. She took her large canvas bag, her sketchbook, and her art supply. She made sure the kwamis are comfortable enough and told them to not make a mess when she was out.

Once she's out, with Plagg securely in her bag, she trusted her instinct and found herself entering a park. It was a nice day and looking around at the different architecture near the park she found herself an empty seat nearby. She lets Plagg perch himself on her shoulder while she dug out her sketchbook and start sketching away her ideas.

Not long after that she felt someone took a seat next to her, she glanced to her side and found a man nearing his 40s slumping next to her. She could feel the sorrow and sadness lingering around the man and Marinette being Marinette couldn't sit still.

Marinette could've sworn the man looked familiar and even though she became a very competent assistant to Audrey, she couldn't for the love of God remember the faces she had seen before. If they are known figures in the fashion world, she might recognize them but otherwise, she would forget them, rich or not.

The girl closed her sketchbook, which the man took notice of.

"I'm sorry, I'm not bothering you, am I?" He asked with a polite smile.

The girl shook her head and smiled warmly at the man, "Non, monsieur. I just couldn't help but notice how sad you are."

The man blinked, obviously shocked at her, and gave her a small weak smile. "I guess you can say that..." He chuckled mirthlessly.

Marinette hummed, "Are you grieving?" She asked quietly.

The man looked towards the park and she could see the dark aura around him seemingly trying to choke the man. He nodded silently and took a shaky breath. "My son." He muttered quietly.

She nodded in silence, she rummaged through her canvas bag and took out a charmed amulet that she had been working on with Master Fu before his passing. She looked away from the amulet and found Plagg giving her an encouraging smile. She knew that this was the right thing to do and so she cupped the amulet in her hands and said, "I'm sorry for your loss...No parents should bury their children."

The man sniffed and nodded, "Thank you."

"Though you have to walk this winding road, stumbling blindly in this dark path, there will always be a path of light that will help you find your way." She advised with a warm smile. Master Fu had told her that when she was grieving for the loss of her friendship and the weight she had to carry as Ladybug.

Slowly she reached out to take his hand and gently put the charmed amulet in it. "You just need to do the next right thing." She uttered softly and sent waves of comforting magic to the amulet. Hoping that it would lift the man's spirit and help him find hope. She then took her bag and left the man staring at the amulet.

Marinette quickly left the park and bought herself a coffee before returning to her hotel where she gets ready for dinner. Her heart felt full knowing she helped someone even if it was just a little bit. She hoped that one act of random kindness could lift a little bit of the bad luck aura in Gotham.

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Bruce Wayne just wanted time to compose himself. He had a lapse of grieving thoughts when he looked at Jason's picture. So he left his office to find a place where he could grieve freely. The mansion still has memories of Jason and he couldn't stand the guilt that is eating him inside. He found a nearby park and took a seat next to a young woman who was busy sketching. He didn't really expect anything would come out of this walk in the park, but he was pleasantly surprised that the young woman beside him had given him a random act of kindness that had left him a bit speechless.

He was looking at the emerald amulet on his hand and somehow he felt lighter than he ever felt in the past few months. Odd. He decided to bench any negative thoughts to ready himself for the dinner reservation tonight.

TBC

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A/N: Next chapter would be the dinner! Stay tuned!

#maribat #platonic brucinette #platonic jasonette #dickinette #marinette as secretary #Managing Life AU #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #mlb crossover #mlb x batman #platonic timinette #platonic daminette #marinette x gotham #marinette x batfam #marinette x dick #maridick #marinette dupain cheng

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fleursroses · 1 year

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Marinette, presenting a plan: Does anyone have questions?

Dick: Is this like... legal?

Marinette: Does anyone have relevant questions?

#jason: no. sweet #maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #dickinette #maridick

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miraculousxdchelpdesk · 1 year

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So hi lol I forgot about this blog.

#marixdc #marinette dupain cheng #maridami #marijon #maribat #miraculous x dc #class salt #lila rossi salt #lila salt #lila rossi gets exposed #timmari #maritim #dickmari #maridick #jaymari #marijay

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dickysnft · 2 years

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My first time using this.

I draw cartoon dick people and mint them on Tezos.

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fridayfirefly · 3 years

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A New Start

Read A New Start on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 15 - New Start

At the age of twenty-three, Dick Grayson was used to being called names. Playboy, asshole, womanizer - people liked to make assumptions about him. The press only ever saw him as a reflection of his Bruce's public persona, another rich airhead who thought of nothing except sex and alcohol.

Dick tried to rise above it all. He graduated from Gotham University School of Business with a 4.0 GPA. He earned his job at Wayne Enterprises instead of letting it simply be given to him. He never went to parties, never went to nightclubs, never got caught doing anything unsavory by the press. Despite every reason that made him entirely unsuitable gossip material, Dick Grayson was still splashed across the front page of every Gotham Gossip Magazine. They created speculation over every little aspect of Dick's life. When he took a week off of school due to the flu, he was actually partying his way through Europe. When he ran to the campus convenience store at 2 am to buy a new phone charger, he was actually buying a pregnancy test for his one-night stand. When he went to his Bruce's Spring Gala alone, it was actually because he was having a secret affair with one of the married models. Dick knew that nothing he did would change the way the press viewed him.

Dick hated the press. He hated being seen as a rich, air-headed playboy who earned none of his success. He hated how so few people saw past the headlines to get to know the real him. It seemed like no one could see the Dick Grayson who made dumb jokes and loved his slightly dysfunctional family and fell in love with his whole heart unguarded. No one could see the Dick Grayson who just wanted to be loved back.

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Dick was running late. Any other day, he would be perfectly prompt, but that morning, everything went wrong. The subway got delayed. The uber driver tried to take a shortcut down the wrong way of a one-way street, adding another twenty minutes to Dick’s commute. The barista at Starbucks messed up Dick’s americano not once but twice (Dick still tipped her, but he was still resentful about it). When Dick finally got to the office thirty minutes late, he found out that he had a meeting in twenty minutes all the way across town.

Overall, the whole morning seemed to be fated for disaster. Dick caught a taxi outside of Wayne Enterprises, chugging the last of his americano before he got in. On the drive to the Gabriel Fashion building, Dick got himself up to speed on the topic of his upcoming meeting. Ever since the arrest of Gabriel Agreste two years prior on charges of domestic terrorism, Gabriel Fashion had lost more and more money until it was simply impossible for the company to remain afloat. However, despite the catastrophic failure of the parent company, one branch of Gabriel Fashion was still doing incredibly well. Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s line of sustainable, environmentally friendly fashion, named Miraculous Fashion, was widely regarded as the best thing to come out of Gabriel Fashion in the last fifteen years. Wayne Enterprises wanted to use Miraculous Fashion to get into the fashion business. Bruce was willing to offer Adrien Agreste, CEO of Agreste Fashion (though not for much longer, as the company was on the verge of declaring bankruptcy), just about any amount of money Agreste could ask for in order to acquire Miraculous Fashion. However, that meant getting the approval of Ms. Dupain-Cheng first, which was the reason that Dick was meeting with Ms. Dupain-Cheng that morning.

Dick's horrible luck wasn't through with him yet, though. As his taxi pulled up in front of Gabriel Fashion, the vehicle drove through a huge puddle, splashing street water all of a young woman walking past. Dick could hear her surprised shriek even from inside the taxi.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Dick muttered as he shot out of the taxi. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

The woman blinked up at him, wiping the icy water off of her face. "I'm fine. It was an accident."

"It's not fine." Dick's already foul mood even worse after seeing the state of the woman. Her coat (originally cream-colored, as Dick could tell from the dry spots) was now covered in wet, gray stains. "I can pay any dry cleaning expenses."

The woman shook her head. "It's not a big deal."

"I'll pay for your cab ride if you'd like to go home and get changed," Dick offered. He knew better than to throw money at a problem, but he wanted the guilt he felt about ruining the woman's morning to go away.

She shook her head, wet strands of hair sticking to her face. "No, it's fine. I have a change of clothes in my office, and I can get cleaned up in the bathroom."

"Okay. Sorry again Miss..."

"Dupain-Cheng. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Dick winced. Of all the disastrous coincidences... "I'm Dick Grayson, your 9:30 meeting."

Marinette stared at him for a moment, before starting to laugh. "What a terrible first encounter we had. Why don't I walk you up to my office? My secretary can show you around while I get changed."

"Sounds great, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

"Call me Marinette."

"Only if you call me Dick."

Marinette tried and failed to hold back a giggle. "Right this way then, Dick."

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Dick had the sneaking suspicion that despite the fact that Marinette had lived in Gotham for the past six months, she had yet to encounter any of Gotham's many gossip magazines. When she looked at Dick, there was no judgment in her eyes. Dick was used to the underhanded insults, the subtle ways that people tried to undermine him because they didn't think he was qualified for his job. Marinette never acted like that. She was interested in everything he said, offering both praise and criticism to his ideas as they negotiated the terms for a potential merger.

"I want Miraculous Fashion to continue past the end of Gabriel Fashion, but to be honest I was hoping to be picked up by a company more experienced in the fashion world. Miraculous Fashion has a lot of potential, and I don't want to let that go to waste with a company that - no offense - might not know how to operate a clothing company."

"I understand your concern, but Wayne Enterprises is dedicated to expanding into the fashion world. I swear to you that Wayne Enterprises will do whatever it takes to ensure that Miraculous Fashion prospers. I can't promise that we won't make any mistakes or screw-ups, but I can promise that Miraculous Fashion won't be abandoned when times get tough."

Marinette nodded thoughtfully. "I'll think about it, but there's a pretty good chance that I'll agree to this. I've gotten a few other offers from different fashion companies, but none quite as enthusiastic as Wayne Enterprises."

"I hope to see you again soon," said Dick as he left her office.

Even though it was riddled with disaster, Dick couldn't help but feel good about his morning. His meeting with Marinette felt special. It felt like a new start.

@maribatmarch-2k21

#maribat #dickinette #dick grayson #marinette dupain-cheng #MaribatMarch2021 #miraculous ladybug fic #maridick #my work

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miraculousmelodies · 3 years

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Marinette: I called you like eighty times! Why didn't you answer your phone?

*Flashback of Dick dancing to the ringtone*

Dick:

Dick: I didn't hear it.

#maribat incorrect quotes #marinette and batfam #maribat #incorrect maribat #mlb x dc #incorrect-maribat #dickinette #maridick

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strawberry-lemonade · 4 years

Conversation

Marinette: In this house we condone murder! :D

Bruce: No we don't

Marinette: :(

Jason: Oh good job mister bat-fucker

Bruce: I-

Tim: Look what you did you made sunshine sad

Bruce: I don't-

Dick: Great going, Bruce

Bruce: I DON'T-

Damian: Worry not, Habibti, you will be avenged and murder will be condoned.

Bruce: I DO NOT FUCK BATS

Jason: First of all, yes you do-

Tim: Second of all, why is that the thing you focus on

Marinette: *screams* Bruce fucks bats!

Stephanie: *coming down the stairs* HE ADMITTED IT?!

Tim: *completely deadpan, without missing a beat* yes.

Bruce: *also screams* NO!

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jasmehraj · 4 years

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Why are there so many of you

Why are there so many of you?

Finally they met with different versions of Marinette. Enjoy.

________________________________________________________________

They were blinded by the lights coming from the portals. Multiple thuds were heard . When the light finally cleared, they opened their eyes only to see multiple figures standing there some were in different versions of Ladybug's costume, some were in civilian clothing and one of them was in an amazonian costume? Jason screamed as he latched on Dick. Dick couldn't even get his words out he was just pointing at them. Tim had an unsure expression on his face. Damian, well Damian looked like he has seen Ra's. Bruce's face was neutral to normal eye but to his children could tell he was HORRIFIED. Barbara jaw was on the floor. Stephanie screamed a high pitched scream while Cassandra stood uneasily. Alfred just let out a small 'aw' and said,"Master Bruce, I think we found out what this gun was for."

Marinette stood up, her head was still hurting, she said,"Bruce and when were you going to tell me?"

"The same time when you were going to tell me you were Ladybug."He replied in his Batman voice.

All the Marinettes said at the same time:

"What the hell."

"WTF?"

"What is the meaning of this Bruce?"

"Jason, you better have a good explanation."

"Dami, why did you pull me here in the middle of an akuma attack?"

"Daddy, who are these?"

"Brucina Who are these people?"

"Ricky?"

"What is the meaning of this father?"

All the voices mixed with each other and the echo in the bat cave was not helping.

"Stop."Batman commanded. One of them lifted herself in the air and glowed pink and then everyone's mouth was sealed shut.

Tim turned to Batman,"The ray gun somehow transported different versions of Marinette from different universes. They all seem to recognize us and they are not in thousands. That means only the universes where she has a very strong relation with us have been transported to our world. But why?"Tim explained."Were you in contact with her when she was hit?"

"Yes her hands were still on me."

"You are right."Oracle said.

The one that was floating moved her hands and all of the Marinettes stood in a line. She said,"I am going to release you. Don't make a noise."After they all nodded the glow faded and she stood in the line too.

"First which one of you was hit?" Their Marinette raised her hand.

"Marinette lay on the bed you are still hurt."She nodded and Alfred took her to the bed.

"So-" Jason was cut ff by another body falling from sky. They were actually two bodies. A very bloodied Red hood and a Ladybug. Two other Ladybug's went near them to heal him. The ladybug looked at Bruce,"Batman, he is seriously injured, he-he" She broke down. A Marinette who was Bruce's age came and started comforting her,"Shhh. Everything is going to be alright. We are here to help." Her transformation dropped. She looked around. She was very confused when she saw many people standing there in Ladybug costume and some even looked exactly like her. They were of different ages too. She looked around to see Jason on top of Dick. She stared at him wide eyed. When he saw that she was looking at her he hid behind Dick. There was a groan from behind her. She looked back to see Jason in his red hood outfit. The two people who were healing him fell on the ground due to exhaustion.

He also looked around confused and raised his gun at Jason."Who are you and Pixie....?"

She got out of the older Mari's grasp and pulled Jason into a kiss.

"You are in a different universe but why exactly has Jason come with her? Everyone else are alone." Stephanie said.

"Mari and Jason when you were shot were you by any chance hugging or something."

Marinette broke the kiss,"I was holding him tightly and when I opened my eyes I was here."

"Tt. Now we have to deal with two Todds."Damian tutted.

"Thank God, Pixie. Thank you. Who knows what we would have done if Batman was hit? We would have so many failure fathers to deal with."Jason now standing straight joked.

In a blink of an eye, a katana was on his throat. He looked down to see a Mari holding a katana at his throat,"Tt. Don't dare to speak about Father like this Jason."She lowered the Katana and turned to Batman,"How should we proceed Father?"

The second Jason said,"Are you by any chance related to Demon Spawn?"

"Yes, I am his twin." She said looking at Damian.

Alfred said,"I believe that we should do the introductions and let the young mistress sleep. Our Ladybug is already asleep.-" They looked at Marinette who was sleeping peacefully."-and Master Jason."

"Yes Alfred?" They both said in unison.

"Not you Master Jason, the young Master who was injured. Let me check you for injuries."

He sat down to get himself checked.

"Alfred I am not exactly a mistress so will you kindly stop referring to us like that. You can call me Marcel." Everyone looked at the boy. Alfred Nodded,"Of course, Master Marcel."

"So let's categorize them. They all know us. We can differentiate them using their stories."Dick said.

"That is good. You should all introduce yourself."Barbara said.

________________________________________________________________

Second Chapter is complete. If you are super confused raise your hand.

I hope you enjoyed.

Love,

Jasmehraj.

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lonestarfangirl2014 · 4 years

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FOR THOSE WHO ENJOY MARIBAT/ml×DC) HERES A EDUCATIONAL POST ABOUT PARIS/FRENCH AND EUROPEAN DC HEROES AND STUFF TO HELP YOU AVOID SOME BLUNDERS SO MANY OTHERS HAVE MADE!

Honestly I get annoyed when maribat/mlxDC fans who apparent only exposure to dc is the maribat AU think there was no villains or heroes in Paris before hawkmoth, ladybug and chat noir..... and thus also think that the Akuma attacks wouldn't be noticed by the worldwide superhero community....yeah no buddy that would never fly in any world where the dc heroes existed. The only way they would never have intervened was if princess Diana who is the daughter of a previous ladybug miraculous user sent out a notice to all justice league affiliated teams/ any other superhero organizations detailing and warning about what was happening and also warning all none European heroes to stay away because seriously imagined a akumazied flash or superman and for them to keep a tight reign on their emotions if for any reasons they had to go to Paris.

Let me educate yall as one lifelong dc comics fangirl fan to all you miraculous fans who might not fully know or fully understand the things that would change if you include miraculous ladybug into the dcverse.

For one like I mentioned there are European hero teams like the JLE of which wonder woman/princess diana was part of at one point as well as the global guardians who headquarters are in Paris. Soooo the members of said team would so help ladybug and chat noir out!

Note not all the members are pictured here.

this will give you a list of all known justice league Europe members. Some of whom do live in paris( i will talk about those members in a bit)...and no thats the first kid flash wally west not barry allen.....and the blond in white with a red cape is a ALT!Kara zor-L(not el but L in her native universe.....she stranded long story multiverse hijinks)

Not all members are pictured obviously the link provides more info.....seriously i highkey suggest yall check out any links I provide because if I include every little detail this post would get way to long!

This woman is Catherine cobert!

She's French. She is also the Justice League's public affairs officer in the young justice cartoon universe. In the comics she was originally the United Nations liaison with Justice League Europe, and she helped manage the team and protect them from legal trouble wherever she could. At one point in her life, she was also a highly renowned fashion model.

Now I bet you wanna know who the dc French superheroes are!

This is the crimson fox. To be precise she is the third crimson fox no name was ever given but she claims to be a relative of the two original crimson foxes who were twins who served on both the JLE and the global guardians . The twin sisters Constance and Vivian D'Aramis operated as Crimson Fox. With their similar attire and pheromone powers, they were hard to tell apart and the general populace of France was largely unaware that the Crimson Fox was in fact two separate people.

Their both dead but you can just easily ignore that and say one or both went into semi retirement.

This guy right here is Nightrunner actual name is Bilal Asselah a sunni Muslim.

He lives in Paris. He is affiliated with batman incorporated.

Bilal is a 22 year old student from the Paris commune of Clichy-Sous-Bois, a neighborhood rife with conflict due to racial tensions. Bilal refused to take sides in the conflict, until one day he and his best friend Aarif were caught in the crossfire. Later that day, Aarif, obsessed with taking the law into his own hands, set fire to a police station, dying in the process. To honor the memory of his friend, Bilal began his training in Parkour and became the vigilante known as Nightrunner to prevent chaos and civil war in his city.

Nightrunner involvement in Batman Inc.

Bilal soon discovered there was a group in his city inciting civil disorder. While chasing them, Bilal encountered Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, both in the guise of Batman. Working together, they soon defeated the cult. Returning to the city, Batman recruited Bilal as Batman in Paris. Before departing Paris, Batman provided Bilal with living quarters as well as a training center for honing his martial arts. Dick Grayson remained in Paris to train Bilal. After completing his training, Nightrunner debuted as a member of Batman Incorporated. However, his new appearance led people to believe he was working with the police, and they began to avoid him. In light of this, Bilal asked Batman whether he had chosen the right man for the job. Batman reaffirmed his choice, stating that as a symbol he is becoming something greater, and it takes time for the people to learn that. Later, while on patrol, Bilal saw two boys fighting over a piece of cloth. After a moment, he realized they were arguing over who got to wear their homemade mask, imitating their hero Nightrunner. With a renewed sense of confidence, Bilal fully accepted his new role as the protector of Paris.

More information can be found at the link provided.

There's also a enemy turned ally of Damians whose of French descent named Maya ducard aka nobody II

She is the daughter of Morgan ducard the first nobody.

He is the son a world renowned assassin and a spy who was originally sent to kill said assassin yeah they fell in love and had morgan who killed his mom after her old bosses found her and stuff. His father is

HENRI DUCARD

I linked both his bios from both new earth and prime earth continuities!.....

NO IN THE COMICS HENRI DUCARD AND RAS AL GHUL ARE NOT THE SAME(to those who seen certain bat movies)

Now henri was one of Bruce Waynes teachers when he went on his initial training trip preparing to be batman. Morgan and Bruce together trained underneath him for a time. Bruce was his greatest student he worked for interpol before retiring.

Now for a certain villain that yall would totally be interested in.

THE MAN WHO LAUGHS AKA THE FRENCH JOKER!

History

Norman's mother died at his birth. His father, a mad artist, took the baby and made him into an "artwork" by cutting his lips away and making him "smile" forever. As an adult, Norman took revenge on his father by cutting him into pieces and putting them in glass boxes, all while keeping him alive and letting him watch a video. Meanwhile, Batman, Robin and Nightrunner were trying to find Rotrig. To force the three heroes look for him, he freed four of Paris' craziest villains from prison, taking a gas bomb in front of his head that makes him look like "The son of the man".

Now I've reached my ten picture limit. In closing I highkey suggest you do your research and don't be afraid to ask for help from your fellow maribat fans as well as regular DC fans(I promise not all of us bite)

JUST PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DON'T CLOG UP THE DC TAGS(Others have asked that to but its still happening so please stick to the usual maribat tags such as ship names and stuff 😊 )

HAPPY BIO!DAD BRUCE WAYNE MONTH 2020! Go give @biodad-bruce-month a visit if you wanna join in on the fun!

And remember you guys can always message/inbox me if your having issues figuring out some stuff like which continuities had which hero uniforms....seriously though the dc superhero uniforms tend to change with every new continuity(live action tv show, all the different cartoons, comics, movies both live action and animated etc) so it gets highkey confusing i know BUT THATS NO EXCUSE TO HAVE THIS ROBIN UNIFORM

BE MENTIONED IF YOU ARE WRITING A ML/YOUNG JUSTICE CROSSOVER OR A ML/CARTOON!TEEN TITANS OR LIVE ACTION TITANS CROSSOVER. THE ROBIN UNIFORMS ARE VASTLY DIFFERENT IN SAID SHOWS COMPARED TO THE COMICS......ALSO THE NEW 52 DID AWAY WITH THAT UNIFORM! I'll make a post aimed at yall in regards to said uniforms soon I promise!

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normal-piece-of-shit · 4 years

Text

To Be A Fish

DICKINETTE!

Prompt: Black Bryon- Be my support

@june-of-flower-fluff

---

The second Marinette enters the coffee shop and locates her table, she collapses on her chair.

She sighed. It was times like these that made her want to become a fish. Having nothing to do. Just swimming and swimming. Avoiding sharks. And swimming again.

A chuckle sounded from nearby. Experience and being obsessed with the beautiful sound for months already told her who it was.

“Tired?” Dick asked, placing a cup of coffee next to her.

Instantly, she felt herself brighten up. Coffee! This man was the most precious human she'd ever met! A complete angel!

“So tired.” She said after taking a large gulp of the coffee. “I’m even ready to embrace my life as a fish!”

She frowned. There was only half of the coffee remaining.

“Oh?” He sounded amused. “A fish, huh? Maybe you wouldn't have been considering that if you had listened to a certain somebody.”

There went her good mood. Just like her coffee.

“I know, I know.” She grumbled. “I should have listened to you when you told me to take it easy.”

He rose a brow. “And..?”

She slouched further. “And I’m sorry for calling you a pathetic coward.”

She took back what she'd said before. This man didn't deserve being called an angel! He was the worst of the devils!

The man had the audacity to chuckle! Chuckle!

She sat upright, glaring at him fiercely.

“Coffee. Give. Me. Coffee.”

“You-You’ve drank five cups? Are-”

“Coffee. Now.”

He gulped and gave a salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

She took satisfaction in seeing him run. Though, she soon turned bitter at the result.

“This is barely coffee! It tastes like…milk?!”

He grinned, albeit a bit nervously. “That's because it is milk.”

Her head snapped towards him. “What?! Why?!”

“Well, you can't survive purely on coffee!”

“Yes I can. You're just a pathetic coward!”

“Don't you remember what happened the last time you called me that?”

“Shut up!”

He sighed. “Listen. I’m doing this because I care for you!”

“If you had, then you would have got me coffee!”

“I do care for you! In a different way!” He huffed. “I even got you cake!”

“But coffee- wait.” Her eyes widened. “Cake?”

He nodded, smiling smugly as he saw the effect of his words work. “Chocolate cake. Your favorite.”

Her eyes further widened in glee.

“I take it back! You're still the most beautiful angel I’ve ever seen!”

Silence fell between them. And Marinette had come to the conclusion that she’d said it out loud.

Oh god.

It wasn't too late to still become a fish, right?

“Angel seems a more fitting word for you.”

Oh.

Looks like she didn't have to turn into a fish yet.

#maribat #dickinette #maridick #hahA #ive gone crazy #MaribatFloweringFluff

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vln-vibes · 4 years

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First Encounters

Day One of February Memory @maribat-2k20 Haly’s Circus was the greatest thing Marinette had ever experienced in her six year old life. Her maman and papa had decided to take her while nonna was visiting, having sung praises of the circus and that she knew a few of the performers.

Marinette was young but she knew Gina Dupain could not be tied to one place for so long, it made sense that she had taken to meeting so many people. Marinette hoped to be like her one day; carefree, adventurous, brave and kind.

As the lights dimmed down she could feel the anticipation of the room build up; she thought she saw Nino, Kim and Chloe in the crowd but it was too dark to really tell. She could always just ask on Monday.

Soon the ringmaster, Haly, came out with the ever used “Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to Haly’s Traveling Circus”

It was so colorful and captivating, the little girl almost felt like the show was catered for her, easily going above and beyond to almost unthinkable feats.

From strongmen to animal tamers to body contortionists. All of it was amazing!

The clowns were funny and colorful; the acrobats graceful and flawless; the strongmen looking like they put no effort; the animal tamers never using the whip as they just guided the tigers through tricks; knife throwers never missing a beat; contortionists looking effortless and comfortable. A parade of the animals came out and Marinette was a true goner.

The elephants were beginning to leave the arena, clowns and acrobats still doing tricks on their backs, when a drumroll began, lights dimming again, spotlights flying all over the place as Haly’s voice boomed.

“Ladies and Gents, feast your eyes on Haly’s own pride and joy; The Flying Graysons!”

In a split second the spotlights pointed at two different stands high up in the tent, had they always been so high up? As two men, one on each side, began to throw themselves onto the middle, she felt her stomach sink looking lower; there was no safety net.

Marinette subconsciously began to play with her lucky charm, a string bracelet she made one day after school and concentrated her wishes in.

The little girl never took her eyes off of the Flying Graysons; the two men performing life defying flips as they swung onto the different poles. Suddenly two women joined the mix, grabbing onto the men as they flew. Marinette, even as a six year old, knew that they loved what they were doing and were good at it.

Out of nowhere, one of the women was being hung upside down by a man, reaching out for something. Then a boy joined them.

She could almost imagine him laughing, maybe he was, as he was thrown from adult to adult, all while doing flips and tricks between intervals.

Even from a distance she could tell he was not much older than she was, gripping her lucky charm tighter.

Soon the boy was placed down onto one of the stands, waving at the crowd as they cheered.

“Now for the Flying Graysons’ signature move; the Quadruple Somersault!”

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Marinette counting the rotations as best as she could. She didn’t notice the photo her nonna took as she stared intently.

As soon as it started, it was over, the Flying Graysons and the rest of the circus coming out for one last act and a bow.

“How’d you enjoy that my little Marinetta?” Marinette could barely stop herself from shouting in joy and jumping around as she began to babble on about the amazing feats of the circus. Her family only laughed along at her enthusiasm as they walked closer to the stands, though Marinette bumped into familiar faces as she did.

“Hey Nino, Kim” the petite girl had caught their attention as their parents were talking to one another. The two waved back at their friend from school, fangirling about the awesome performances they witnessed.

“I have a little surprise for my little Marinetta; I’m sure you’d like to show your friends as well” Marinette couldn’t help but enthusiastically nod as she dragged the two boys where her grandmother was guiding them, their parents trailing slowly behind. The trio noticed Chloe, arms crossed as both her parents seemed occupied with phone calls, promptly ignoring her, as she complained that she wanted to leave.

She hadn’t known much about Chloe in the year that they’ve been classmates other than she could be a brat at times and was very bosy. They didn’t talk often since Chloe would rather play or give orders around the girls while Marinette didn’t mind getting dirty with the boys. She felt sad for the girl, giving her a small wave; Chloe looked surprised but huffed and gave a small wave back. Chloe wasn’t exactly her friend but she reasoned that the girl didn’t have many. Nino and Kim helped Marinette beacon Chloe closer, pointing at Gina, who had noticed that the kids had stopped and was now watching as they tried to convince the blonde to join them.

She looked skeptical before pulling at her parents’ pants, the two giving different looks, one of annoyance and the other of worry, before she pointed at the group of children. The two eyed one another for a moment before nodding and going back to whatever it was they were doing before.

Now the four children walked behind Gina like ducklings, each giggling and talking about their favorite parts; Kim liked the strongmen, Nino the clowns, Chloe admitted that the ringmaster was her favorite but agreed that Marinette’s choice of the Flying Graysons was acceptable as well. They had been so caught up with each other that they hadn’t realized they were now in the center of the ring until a familiar voice laughed before them.

“Well, if it isn’t the infallible Regina” the kids stood in awe as Haly, as in ringmaster Haly, gave a kiss on both cheeks to Marinette’s nonna.

“Oh that was so long ago Haly dear. I go by Gina or nonna these days” the older woman laughed as she got the kids to approach, “This is my granddaughter and her friends from school”

“Why aren’t you little things?” Haly gave a tip of his top hat, a slight curtsey as he greeted them “ Its always a pleasure entertaining family, say you look close to little Dickie’s age” the man then whistled, some of the workers, they realized were the performers that were beginning to prep for their next show later in the evening, turned around. “Where’s little Dickie?”

“Here!” they looked up to see the young boy from the Flying Graysons wave from the staircase that lead up to the balcony where he and the others would fly. “What’s up Haly?”

“Regina is that you?” the boy turned to see the four older Flying Graysons hug Gina as she returned it in earnest. “Oh look at you all, is that little Richard?”

One of the black haired men and a ginger woman nodded, the boy getting close to them, as they showed him off.

“Our little boy is certainly bigger since last time” the man, John Grayson, chuckled as his wife, Mary, sighed.

“Has it really been two years since you left already?”

“You know me; I can never stay in one place for so long”

“Wow so your grandmother is Regina?” the boy, Richard? Dick?, was looking at Marinette though the girl herself seemed confused.

“Y-Yes? I thought her name was Gina” she looked quizzically, wondering what exactly it was that her grandmother got into when she was exploring the world.

“That’s so cool! I remember her motorcycle routine; it was awesome” the boy exclaimed as the four Parisians re-evaluating the lady they knew as a doting grandmother who traveled a lot.

“Thanks…”

“I’m Richard John Grayson, though everyone just calls me Dick. What’s your name?”

“U-Uh I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng and these are my friends”

“Nino Lahiffe!” the boy seemed to want to bury himself alive given how loud he had unintentionally been.

“Le Chien Kim” the boy laughed, ecstatic because he wanted to see if they could sneak off to where the animals were kept.

“Chloe Bourgeois” the girl said with a flick of her pigtails, almost scoffing at the boy. She supposed he wasn’t awful given he managed to wow her mother when his family performed.

“Y-You’re family was amazing!” Marinette piped up, her face growing red even as her friends joined in afterwards giving their praises.

“Totally cool!”

“Not entirely boring”

“How does it feel?”

“Hmm” Dick hummed pensively before snapping his fingers playfully “ It’s like flying”

“Isn’t it scary?” Marinette shyly asked as she looked up “I was so nervous I kept holding my lucky charm” she pointed at a little handmade bracelet as to emphasize on her point.

“Sometimes but I remember that I’m a Grayson; we’re made to fly” the boy said with as much bravado and certainty as if he had said that the sky was blue.

“O-Oh” Marinette let on before taking off her charm and handing it to him with as much care as a six year old could “I’d feel better knowing you had a lucky charm too”

“Wow Mari you don’t let anyone touch your charm!” Kim exclaimed as the others nodded. She had once tackled a kid who tried taking it from her and moved when another tried grabbing the wrist where it was.

“It’s a great honor” Nino nodded sagely.

“Well then I’ll treasure it forever Mari” Dick laughed along, tying it with little struggle.

As Gina watched the children she just knew it was the start of something special between the Flying Grayson and her little granddaughter.

#Dickinette #maridick #maribat #dick x marinette #dick grayson x marinette dupain-cheng #first encounters #day 1 #mlb x dc #ML x DC #MariBat 2k20

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stareyedmoonchild · 4 years

Text

Maribat March

Guess who's preparing for angst week?

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fleursroses · 2 years

Conversation

Dick, peeling a banana: May I take your jacket, sir?Hahahaha.

Marinette, suffering: Do you think other people can’t hear you?

#maribat #maridick #dickinette #mlb x dc #dc x mlb

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maribat-central · 4 years

Text

Dick Grayson/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Masterlist

* Marked means they’re Platonic Fics

@artxyra *A Little Titans/ML Idea

@cassiopeiathequeen

Let Me Hold Your Hand (pt1)

@eve-valution *Misplaced and Found

@gimme-more-caffeine

*Big Brother Fights

@gloriafee4 Dance In Sync *Holding the Worlds In Your Arms

@theatreandcomicfreak

Detective Mari AU

@multifandomscribette Bird’s Dance AU

Ladybird Flies Again (1)

Together We Fly Again! (2)

@ranger-gothamite aka Paladin_Willa on AO3

Always be there for you (Dick/Marinette/Wally)

#Dickinette #MariDick #MariBat #Dick Grayson #marinette dupain cheng #Fanfiction #Marinette x Dick #Dick x Marinette #Dick Grayson x Marinette Dupain-Cheng #LadyBird #masterlist

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fridayfirefly · 3 years

Text

Two Birds [Part One]

Read Two Birds on AO3

Masterlist [All Works]

Masterlist [Two Birds Series]

Written for Maribat March Day 14 - Dead

Nine-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng peeked around the legs of her Grandma Gina to look up at the circus tent. Framed by the setting sun, it looked grand and magnificent, but Marinette still would rather have stayed at home. "We'll be staying here?"

"Not inside the circus tent, silly. There are trailers around back that the performers sleep in. That's where we'll be staying."

Marinette scuffed her shoes against the ground, watching the dust kick up. "Why couldn't we just stay at home?"

"We have to experience new things, Marinette - that's what makes life worth living when you're old like me."

"I don't want to try new things and I don't want to stay with strangers. I just want to stay at home."

"It's only three days, sweetheart. Just trust me. You'll have fun."

Marinette pouted but nodded anyway. "Fine." Marinette loved her Grandma Gina, who brought her gifts from all around the world and told her stories of her travels. However, Marinette didn't like when her parents made Gina babysit. Gina refused to babysit Marinette at home and instead took Marinette on her travels with her. Marinette didn't like traveling, especially when it meant she had to stay with strangers. She much preferred her own bed to the bed of a stranger.

"Gina Dupain!" exclaimed a smiling man, walking out of the circus tent.

"Walter Haly! How are things in the circus business?"

"Worse without you, my lovely Gina. Please tell me you'll perform while you're staying with us."

Gina smiled but shook her head. "I'm too old for the trapeze, Walter. But maybe I can convince this little one to try it out." Gina pushed Marinette out in front of her.

"Oh! Who is this?"

"My granddaughter, Marinette."

Haly knelt down to get to Marinette's height. "How old are you, Marinette?"

Marinette stared down at her shoes, scuffed up brown with dust. "I'm nine years old."

"Do you want to try out the trapeze?"

Marinette vigorously shook her head. "I'm scared of heights."

"Well, we'll see about that. A lot can change in three days." Haly got up and led Marinette and Grandma Gina around behind the tent to the trailers.

Marinette knew that if her mother was there, she would be scolded for being rude, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to stay at the circus. She wanted to stay in her room, play Ultra Mecha Strike with Kim, and sneak cookies from the bakery when Gina wasn't looking.

Haly pointed to a baby-blue colored trailer. "Gina, you'll be staying on Clarise's couch - you remember Clarise, right."

Grandma Gina nodded. "Clarise was the redhead, right? The sword-swallower?"

"That's the one. Now, her couch only has room for one, so Marinette will be staying with the Graysons. They have a son - Richard - who's her age." Haly pointed out a trailer painted with green and yellow stripes.

Marinette grabbed onto Gina's hand. "I want to stay with you, Grandma Gina."

Gina shook her head. "You have to stay with the Graysons. But don't worry sweetheart, you'll have a lot of fun."

Marinette sighed and dragged her feet as she walked to the trailer. Of all the weekend that her parents left town to go to a pastry exhibition, it had to be the weekend that the circus that Grandma Gina once performed at was in town. Marinette knocked twice on the door and waited for it to open. A pretty woman with dark hair and kind eyes opened up the door and started speaking in perfect French. "Oh, hello! You must be little Marinette."

"Yes ma'am," Marinette mumbled.

"Come inside sweetheart." The woman led Marinette into the trailer. It was cramped and messy, but obviously well-loved. The walls were painted periwinkle and the curtains covering the window were orange with blue butterflies. "You don't have to call me ma'am, it makes me feel old. I'm Mary, and this is my husband John."

John was sitting on the couch, mending a tear in a crimson red leotard. "Hello, Marinette. Welcome to Haly's Circus."

"Hi."

Mary started leading Marinette to a door. "This is our son Dick's room, where you'll be sleeping. We set up an air mattress on the floor. You can drop your backpack off in there. Dick will be showing you tomorrow, keeping you out of trouble."

"Okay."

Dick was sitting on the bed when Marinette walked into the room, reading a comic book. Marinette waved shyly, "Hello, I'm Marinette."

"I'm Dick, Dick Grayson."

"Which comic book is that?" asked Marinette, leaning forward to get a good look at the title.

"It's an American comic book about this superhero named Ant-Man. He can shrink super small or grow super huge. He's really cool."

"Could I read it?" asked Marinette.

"Sure. I even have the first one on my bookshelf. I have comic books for nearly all of the Marvel superheroes." As Marinette read, Dick explained the backstories of all of his favorite superheroes and why he owned so many of the comics. "I want to be a superhero someday. If I were a superhero, I would want to be able to fly for real, not just on the trapeze.

Just then, Marinette noticed a poster up on the wall. Visit Haly's Circus to watch the amazing Flying Grayson trapeze family. On the poster were three silhouettes of trapeze artists. "That's you on the poster, isn't it?"

"Yep. I've been doing trapeze since I was seven, and I'm ten now, so that's three whole years. I only got to start performing last month, though." Dick hopped off of his bed and sat down on the air mattress, facing Marinette. "While you're here, are you gonna learn how to do trapeze?"

Marinette shook her head. "I can't. It's too scary."

"But trapeze isn't even scary," protested Dick.

"Maybe not for you, but you do it all the time. I've never done it before and I'm scared of heights."

"Hmm. How about, if you try out the trapeze, I'll do something that scares me, too."

"What would you do?"

Dick stopped to think it over, his face scrunched up in a way that Marinette found both cute and worrisome, given that he was thinking over ways to get her to face her greatest fear of all time. "I know! If you learn trapeze, I'll learn to swim."

"No way! Swimming is way easier than trapeze."

"Not for me!" said Dick indignantly. "I've never been able to swim. But I'll learn how if you learn how to do trapeze."

"I don't know..." Dick was so enthusiastic about the plan that Marinette wanted to say yes, yet there was a lingering fear that held her back.

"Trust me, Marinette. In three days you'll be flying like a bird, and I'll be swimming like a fish."

"Oh, alright. I'll try it."

"Great! Now, I still have a question for you: if you could have any power, what would it be."

"Invisibility," decided Marinette, "That way when I'm late to school, I can slip into the classroom without my teacher noticing."

"Good choice. Now it's your turn to ask a question."

Dick and Marinette stayed up late that night, reading comics and asking each other questions. By morning, Marinette knew that Dick's favorite color was blue, his favorite cookie was chocolate with chocolate chips, his favorite comic book hero was Hawkeye (because he doesn't have any powers, but still manages to be a superhero), and his favorite circus animal performer was Zitka the Elephant. Dick was nine months older than Marinette, his birthday being October 2nd as opposed to her July 28th birthday.

"It's time to teach you how to do trapeze!" announced Dick as soon as breakfast was over.

"We offered to watch over you today while Gina catches up with her friends," explained Mary. "Now, I know that you're afraid of heights, and I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want, but I think it would be a good experience to try trapeze. I promise you, it's completely safe."

"I'll try it."

Dick grinned. "We made a deal last night. If Marinette learns how to do trapeze then I have to learn how to swim."

John raised one eyebrow. "I thought that you swore off swimming for as long as you live."

"I changed my mind. Marinette has to learn how to do trapeze."

Mary and John were both smiling as they exchanged a look. Mary cleared her throat, then said, "Alright. Marinette, I'll get you a leotard, and then you can get dressed."

Given that they were approximately the same size, Dick would be partnered up with Marinette to guide her through the trapeze while she was in the air. Dick and John went ahead to get Dick in position before Marinette started. However, by the time Mary and Marinette got to the circus tent, Marinette was having second thoughts. While her new white leotard was cute, the thought of plummeting to her death while attempting to do trapeze was much less cute. "I'm not so sure about this."

"Marinette, I promise that there is no way you can get hurt. We'll have you strapped into a harness the whole time."

Marinette looked up at Mary, "You promise?"

As she looked up at Mary, the one thing that Marinette's anxious brain noticed was that the older woman had very trustworthy eyes. "Yes, I promise."

Marinette took a deep breath. "Then I want to learn how to do trapeze."

Mary smiled. "Good. Now, the first thing we need to do is get you into your harness. It will be connected to lunge lines to keep you safe in case you fall off the ladder. Then you'll climb the ladder to the top, and we'll attach you to more safety lines. At any point, no matter what happens, you'll be safe if you fall."

Mary helped Marinette into the harness, re-explaining everything as she went along. "Once you get to the top of the ladder, John will guide you through. Dick will be on the other side, mirroring everything you do, and showing you what to do next if you need help. Got it?"

"Yep. Got it." Now, all Marinette had to do was climb the ladder - the extremely tall, extremely scary ladder.

Mary put her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You can do this, sweetheart. There will be things in life that you're scared of, and sometimes the only way to move forward is to face those fears."

Marinette smiled up at Mary. "Thank you." She got up onto the first rung of the ladder, then the second, then the third, making sure to look up at her destination instead of down at the ground.

"Good job," said John, as Marinette climbed up onto the platform next to him. "Now I'm just going to clip you into the safety lines and unclip you from the lunge lines. There's a specific set of commands that will tell you when to go. Dick is catching you, so he'll say 'Listo' when he's built up enough height in his swing. You then will say 'Listo' when you grab hold of the fly bar. Dick will tell you 'Ready' when you need to prepare to jump, and 'Hep' is the command to jump. When you get to the peak of your swing, Dick will yell "Hep" again. That's your signal to let go of the bar. Dick will grab your hands with his, and swing you back over to the other platform, where Mary will be there to help you back onto the platform. Are you ready?"

Marinette nodded, gazing at the trapeze setup with determination. "I'm ready."

Marinette watched Dick as he took off, holding his fly bar. As he swung, he transitioned from being upright, holding the bar with his hands, to being upside down, holding the bar under his knees, his hands free to catch her. "Listo!" Dick called out.

Marinette grabbed onto the fly bar. "Listo!"

"Ready!"

Marinette bent her knees and took a deep breath.

"Hep!"

Marinette jumped off the platform, swinging on the fly bar as the wind whipped in her face. It was exhilarating. Her fear of heights was the last thing on her mind as she watched the colors of the circus tent fly by. Marinette suddenly understood what Dick meant, when he told her that he wished to be able to fly. She felt incredible, and she never wanted the feeling to end.

"Hep!" Dick called again as he swung closer and closer to her.

Marinette let go. At the same instant, Dick's hands clasped around hers, and she was swinging with him.

"How does it feel?" asked Dick.

"Amazing!" Marinette cheered as they swung back to Dick's platform.

Mary was there to grab Marinette out of Dick's grasp, pulling her firmly onto the platform. Dick flipped himself upright and did a backflip up onto the platform. "Ta-da! How did I do as my first time as a catcher?"

"The both of you did very well. You were an excellent catcher, Dick, and you were a natural flyer, Marinette. I can see the two of you being able to pull off some exceptional stunts someday, if you were to continue trapeze, Marinette."

"I want to. I really do."

Marinette was eager to get back onto the trapeze as soon as possible, but Mary insisted that they stop for lunch first. As they walked out of the circus tent, Marinette pulled Dick aside and whisper-shouted, "That was your first time as a catcher and you didn't think to tell me?"

Dick shrugged, a mischievous smile spreading on his face. "I thought it would make you more nervous."

Marinette spluttered, "You- you-"

"Dick?" suggested Dick with a straight face.

The pair burst into instantaneous laughter, so hard they were gasping for breath as they made their way back to the Grayson's trailer.

------

The next three days passed in a blur. Every morning, Dick and Marinette would start their day on the trapeze. Dick guided Marinette through more and more advanced maneuvers, working as a team to accomplish amazing feats. Every minute they spent together up on the trapeze, Marinette could feel the connection between them growing. After a few hours up on the trapeze, Marinette and Dick would get down, get lunch, and explore the campsite. Marinette got to meet Zitka the Elephant and her calf, Nadia, both of whom were rescued from a roadside petting zoo in Texas and given to Haly after they were deemed too domesticated to be released back into the wild.

Marinette and Dick would get back on the trapeze in the afternoon until Mary and John called them for supper. Then, the circus would perform. Marinette would watch The Flying Graysons perform, amazed by how effortless they made it look. After the performance, Marinette would shower Dick with praise as they walked back to the trailer. Dick pretended that he wasn't flattered, but Marinette could see how much it meant to him, to hear it from her. Though they hadn't known each other for very long at all, there was instant platonic chemistry between the two of them.

Grandma Gina made herself scarce over the weekend, spending most of her time with her old friends from her circus days. However, she always made sure to stop in to watch Marinette on the trapeze, taking pictures to show Tom and Sabine when the couple returned to Paris.

The weekend felt like it lasted both three years and three minutes at the same time; nevertheless, Sunday night still came, and Marinette had to say goodbye.

"I'll just run away with the circus," said Marinette, sitting on the air mattress, staring at her fully packed backpack. "Mary and John would take me in."

Dick shook his head. "They would never allow it, no matter how good you are at trapeze."

Marinette sighed. "I'm really going to miss you."

Dick sighed as well, leaning his head against Marinette's. "This really sucks." After a moment of silently commiserating their terrible fortune, Dick suddenly jumped up. "I know! We can send letters to each other to keep in touch. And I can send you comic books when you need new ones to read."

"But the circus moves around constantly. Where will I send the letters to?"

"I have the schedule of everywhere that we'll be for the next six months. You'll just have to send the letters so that they reach the right destination at the right time."

"That means I can still talk to you!"

And suddenly, goodbye was a lot easier to bear.

------

Haly's Circus performed in Paris twice a year - once in January and once in July - meaning that Marinette and Dick had very little time to spend together in person. However, they did write to each other. Dick would send postcards from all the places he visited and Marinette invested in good stationery to write her letters on. Dick would mail over American comic books, carefully folded and stuffed into envelopes. Marinette would send back handmade patches for Dick to sew onto his leotard. They would write about all the details of their lives that they never mentioned to anyone else. Dick told Marinette that sometimes he wished that he could have had a normal childhood all in one place, but then he would think about all the people and places he would have never met and regret ever wanting anything else. Marinette told Dick that sometimes she worried that no matter how hard she worked to be interesting and funny and worthwhile, she would never be enough for the people around her.

Worried that she would forget how to do trapeze during the six months before Haly's circus returned, Marinette convinced her parents to let her attend the one gymnastics studio in Paris that offered trapeze. They were reluctant at first, worried that Marinette could get hurt, but after a thorough overview of the safety precautions, they finally relented. It was a thirty-minute metro ride, but it was worth it when she got up on the trapeze. Marinette quickly became friends with the other students her age at the studio. Alan, Allegra, and Claude were all two years older than her and lived on the other side of Paris, but they still made time to hang out with Marinette both inside and outside of the studio.

As Marinette grew more and more skilled at trapeze, she decided to try some similar sports. She split her free time between the studio, where she worked on developing her skills at trapeze, gymnastics, and aerial silks, and home, where she worked on designing and creating clothes. It was ambitious for a ten-year-old, but Marinette was determined. She loved trapeze and loved making her own clothes, and she loved those two things equally. She could never give one up, and could barely bring herself to prioritize one over the other when her free time grew scarce.

Marinette had her purpose in life: chasing the feeling of flying as far as it could go and creating things out of nothing but her own imagination. She had all the friends she could ever need, but most important to her was Dick, who, despite their distance, seemed closer to her than anyone else.

------

It was a Thursday, the day that Marinette's world ended. It was sunny and unusually warm for October. For Marinette, the day started off entirely normally. She went to school, ate lunch with Kim and Alix, went to the trapeze studio after school to work on a new trapeze routine, got hot cocoa with Alan, Allegra, and Claude afterward, then went home.

It was the 31st of October, the day that Marinette learned of the deaths of Mary and John Grayson. Mary, with her kind eyes, and John, with his crooked smile, were gone forever. Dick was an orphan.

Marinette was only eleven years old, the day that she learned the details of their deaths. They were on the trapeze, performing the closing act of the Gotham show. Dick was up on the platform, too young for the stunt they were performing. The ropes were cut halfway through. John reached out to catch Mary, going through the motions of a trick they had performed so often it would have felt as natural as breathing for them. John caught Mary. John's ropes snapped. They both plummeted, clipped the edge of the safety nets, going too fast, hitting the ground too hard, dead before the ambulances got there. Marinette couldn't help but picture the bodies of mangled birds that died when they hit the window too hard. Marinette pictured broken bones and broken hearts and in her grief, the only person she wanted was Dick. As much as she was hurting, she knew his grief overwhelmed her. Marinette needed to comfort him. Marinette knew her friend needed her.

Yet, no matter how hard Marinette tried (and she tried so hard, because it was the only thing that gave her any relief from the burning pain in her chest) she couldn't get in touch with Dick. Haly told her that Dick was taken in by Gotham's CPS, and they refused to provide any information about him to the circus. Although the circus was his second home, Gotham refused to return Dick. Haly's Circus was deemed an unfit home. Dick would never be returned.

Every day for months Marinette called Gotham's CPS and begged for any information about her lost friend. She pleaded with them that all she wanted to do was be able to send him a letter. But each time, she was refused.

Three months passed, and by the end of those three months, Marinette felt like her heart had been drained out of her. She had lost Mary and John Grayson, who had taught her not only trapeze but how to overcome fear and be brave. She lost Dick too, but in a different way. There was no way to get in contact with Dick again, and Marinette knew that couldn't spend her whole life mourning the friendship she had lost. She knew that she had to accept it and move on. Still, Marinette never stopped missing him.

Marinette could never quite forget Dick. She remembered him every time she got up on the trapeze, every time she made a new patch that she couldn't send to him, every time she sampled a new pastry for the bakery that she knew he would have loved, every time something big happened and her first instinct was to send a letter about it to him.

Five years without him and Dick still lingered on the edge of her mind. Five years without him and Marinette knew that she would never be at peace until she saw him again.

#maribat #dickinette #dick grayson #marinette dupain-cheng #MaribatMarch2021 #maridick #my work #miraculous ladybug fic

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